Why should you buy products made with hands instead of produced by machines? Why are we fascinated by craft shows and fairs? The truth is that while these products may be a little more expensive than those machine produced in mass quantities, they are of far higher quality than mass produced items. We cant always buy handmade, but we should whenever possible. While we cant mention all the reasons for this, there are some of the most important ones.
Lets start with the quality that goes into hand made products. It doesnt matter what it is, crafts, jewelry, even large items like furniture. Each piece is hand made, with the highest quality materials. Each piece is carefully inspected at each stage of the pieces construction, so if something does go wrong, it can be fixed or replaced right away. Because they are handmade by quality craft persons, you can almost always find they stand behind their work, guaranteeing any products you buy from them. Because these products are handmade and meticulously created, they will last for a long time, much longer than products that are machine produced.
You should also buy these high quality products for another reason. You are helping artisans in your local communities, or from people in America. All too often products are made in other countries. China, Malaysia, even India, just to name a few. While this doesnt necessarily mean these products are bad, who knows if the money you spend for these products are actually going to the people who made them. In addition, many of these products dont come with a warranty. If they do, you have to send them overseas to get repaired, costing you even more money. If you do have a problem with locally made products, it is much easier to get the issue resolved.
Another reason to buy handmade products is that you are helping the environment. For one thing, it costs money, uses fuel and other resources to bring products from overseas. Many of the new wave of artisans are using materials that they are recycling, turning old items into new ones, saving our landfills. Other people are using more sustainable products, hemp to make clothing and rugs, just for an example.
Just because a product is handmade doesnt necessarily mean that it is only made with hand tools. It used to be that products were, but the problem is that it could take months, even years to create one piece of furniture or jewelry. If this happened today, artisans would not be able to keep up with the demand for their products, and they would have to charge hundreds, even thousands of dollars for one piece, making it affordable only to the wealthy. In order to keep costs down, and save time and money, artisans use whatever tools available to make the job easier, yet are still able to create products that are hand made.
While there are many examples where people are using state of the art tools to create their products, like metal fabricators. These artisans create many different kinds of products from iron, steel, and other metals. Some people make handmade art pieces, others create items for other industries, for local car repair shops, restoration, or to build their own motorcycles, and custom cars. If they were to have to create these pieces from scratch with just hand tools, it would take a long time, and they would have to charge so much money it wouldnt be cost effective.
Instead they use state of the art equipment. They use computers to take their concepts and create a plan, schematics, and a visual representation of the finished product. Then they use machines to help them take these ideas and make them real. They may use precision laser or waterjet cutters to fabricate the pieces they need. They may use Orbital Welding machines to make precise welds, especially if the piece they are making is round, or oddly shaped. One of the companies they may buy these machines is Arc Products at; http://arcproducts.com/
Do these machines take away from the fact that the product is handmade? Certainly not, because the people creating these items are still using their hands to make them. Artisans have to keep up with the times, and make products in a timely manner so the can fill orders as they come in. Would you say that cabinets or other furnishings arent handmade just because the person making them uses lathes, circular saws, and power sanders to make them? They are still making these items by hand, but are utilizing tools to make their job easier.
So where can you buy these handmade products? There are many different resources you can use. For small items, jewelry, arts and crafts, even things like soap or lotion, you should try to visit some of your local craft shows and fairs. You can even find furniture and other larger items here. If you are looking for products made by artisans like Adirondack, or Bespoke, then youre best bet is to go online. These companies have websites you can buy directly from, eliminating the middle man, and have them shipped directly to you. In many cases it is much cheaper to buy direct, instead of going to your local furniture store, since they have overhead and other expenses they charge you.
High quality products are made with hands. They are made by people who love what they do, take pride in their work, and stand by the products they make. Buying these products helps put food on their tables, pay bills, and allows them to keep doing what they love most. Handmade products will last longer, make you proud to own them, and help save our planet in some small way. They are as unique as the person buying and making them. They are not only a conversation piece, or something functional, but depending on the product, can be handed down from generation to generation, increasing in value over the years.
So the next time you consider buying furniture, clothing, home decorations, or whatever, make sure you take the time to look for handmade products instead of those made in mass production, or made and imported from other countries. You will find that hand made products are far superior, last longer, and are well worth any extra expense.
